diff --git a/cpython/Makefile b/cpython/Makefile
index 4897f88f2..8c4ea22b5 100644
--- a/cpython/Makefile
+++ b/cpython/Makefile
@@ -72,10 +72,10 @@ $(BUILD)/.patched: $(TARBALL)
 	touch $@
 
 
-$(ZLIBBUILD)/.patched: $(ZLIBTARBALL)
+$(ZLIBBUILD)/.configured: $(ZLIBTARBALL)
 	[ -d $(ROOT)/build ] || (mkdir $(ROOT)/build)
 	tar -C $(ROOT)/build/ -xf $(ROOT)/downloads/zlib-1.2.11.tar.gz
-	cat patches/zlib/*.patch | (cd $(ZLIBBUILD) ; patch -p1)
+	cd $(ZLIBBUILD); emconfigure ./configure
 	touch $@
 
 
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ $(BZIP2BUILD)/libbz2.a: $(BZIP2TARBALL)
 	)
 
 
-$(BUILD)/Makefile: $(BUILD)/.patched $(ZLIBBUILD)/.patched $(SQLITEBUILD)/libsqlite3.la $(BZIP2BUILD)/libbz2.a
+$(BUILD)/Makefile: $(BUILD)/.patched $(ZLIBBUILD)/.configured $(SQLITEBUILD)/libsqlite3.la $(BZIP2BUILD)/libbz2.a
 	cp config.site $(BUILD)/
 	( \
 		cd $(BUILD); \
diff --git a/cpython/patches/zlib/include_unistd.patch b/cpython/patches/zlib/include_unistd.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index e30bc4f3c..000000000
--- a/cpython/patches/zlib/include_unistd.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-diff -u zlib-1.2.11-orig/gzguts.h zlib-1.2.11/gzguts.h
---- a/gzguts.h
-+++ b/gzguts.h
-@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
-  * For conditions of distribution and use, see copyright notice in zlib.h
-  */
- 
-+#include <unistd.h>
-+
- #ifdef _LARGEFILE64_SOURCE
- #  ifndef _LARGEFILE_SOURCE
- #    define _LARGEFILE_SOURCE 1